Overview of China’s Domestic CPU Landscape and Instruction Set Architectures

CPU is the fundamental hardware component of the information industry, and its instruction set forms the core of the computing ecosystem, divided into Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) and Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC). CISC offers rich instructions and flexible addressing, exemplified by the x86 architecture, while RISC emphasizes simplicity and efficiency, represented by ARM, MIPS, and Alpha.

Domestic CPU manufacturers are actively competing: Huawei’s Kunpeng series, based on ARM, provides a full‑stack ecosystem and high‑performance data‑center processors such as the 920 (7nm, up to 64 cores). HaiGuang offers x86‑compatible CPUs and DCUs with security extensions and “CUDA‑like” acceleration. Feiteng delivers ARM‑based server, desktop, and embedded CPUs, evolving from SPARC to ARM architectures. Loongson (Dragon Chip) has developed its own LoongArch instruction set, derived from MIPS, and released multiple processor series (Loongson 1, 2, 3) for embedded, general‑purpose, and high‑performance applications.

The analysis highlights three key conclusions: (1) the domestic chip wave is evident, with manufacturers poised to rise amid uncertain overseas trade; (2) HaiGuang holds a clear advantage in the server market while Loongson shows potential in the PC segment; (3) ARM’s ecosystem is strong, and Huawei Kunpeng demonstrates “king‑return” potential due to superior performance and ecosystem support.

Overall, the multi‑instruction‑set development of Chinese CPUs has reached a level comparable to international mainstream products, with ongoing innovation and market adoption across servers, desktops, and embedded systems.